ET@MO Tips & Tricks Newsletter

Mizzou > ET@MO > Archives > February 2007

Create & schedule MoCAT evaluations in advance

MoCAT (Missouri Cares About Teaching) is MU's online course evaluation system which allows you to create and conduct online teaching/course evaluation surveys. The current version of MoCAT lets you send a survey to students immediately, or, alternatively, schedule a survey to deploy at a future date. MoCAT surveys are anonymous and confidential. MoCAT includes a standard template of questions or you may customize your survey with questions tailored to your course (Writing Intensive, Honors, reading/discussion-based courses, technology-based courses, or your own custom questions). Get an account, or login at http://mocat.missouri.edu

Know someone using technology in the classroom?

Are you or someone you know using technology at MU to enhance the student learning environment? The Excellence in Teaching with Technology Awards recognize faculty, staff, graduate instructors and teaching assistants who use technologies in the classroom that demonstrate excellence in teaching. MU faculty, staff and students are eligible to submit nominations. To find out more, and submit nominations online, go to the Provost's List of Award Programs.

Web design services

ET@MO's student support group, the Mizzou Educational Technologies Assistance (META) Team, provides affordable Web site design and development services to the MU community. Faculty and departments can contact the team to discuss possible benefits of a site such as listing publications and vitas, sharing grant information, or promoting department services. Call 882-8840 for more information or visit the META Team web site.

7 things you should know about E-books

E-books offer new ways for readers to interact with content. An e-book that abandons the notion of reading from front to back, for example, encourages readers to take an active, self-directed role in how they learn. E-books incorporating audio, movies, and simulations facilitate deeper understanding of subject matter, while annotation features let users customize a text. This information is provided by the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative's (ELI's) 7 Things You Should Know About... series which provides concise information on emerging learning technologies and related practices. Download the PDF of this full article.

CAMPUS NEWS

Announcing Teaching Renewal Conference 2007!
Register now for the 17th annual Teaching Renewal Conference at Mizzou on February 22-23 in Reynolds Alumni Center. This year's theme is, "Excellence in Higher Education: Innovation, Accountability and Internationalization." Register, and get more information at the Teaching & Learning Council Web site.

Save the Date for Scholarly Communications Conference
The theme for the 2007 Scholarly Communications Conference is "The Millennial Dilemma: Convergence and Divergence in Meeting the Needs of Higher Education." The topics will focus upon the millennial generation of college students and faculty-particularly their expectations concerning information access in a time of unrelenting technological change-and the resulting forces of convergence and divergence in higher education. More information available at MU Libraries' Web site.

EDUCATION NEWS

MIT, Wharton To Publish Collaborative Textbook by Wiki
Faculty at MIT and the Wharton School of Business will collaborate with scholars and business people, to participate in a project to write an online textbook. The sponsors of the project, using the motto, "We Are Smarter Than Me," says its premise is that "large groups of people can, and should, take responsibility for traditional business functions that are currently performed by companies, industries and experts." Organizers of the project say the book will be ready this summer. Go to the "We are Smarter" Web site

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Turning to YouTube for Super Bowl ads
A number of big conglomerates will show extended-length commercials during the heavily watched Super Bowl on Sunday. Some dot-com companies have chosen to take a different approach. Six Web sites have made ads and posted them on YouTube with the aim of starting a viral campaign and challenging the expensive advertising blitz set for the upcoming weekend. Read full article at CNet .